BEGINNING
Today's reading: Nehemiah 1-4

"Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, Good! Let's rebuild the wall! So they began the good work. But when Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the Arab head of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously..." Nehemiah 3:18-19 NLT

The pastor spoke from Nehemiah on Sunday.

The radio personality mentioned Nehemiah yesterday in his drive-time devotion.

This morning, God reminded me, through Nehemiah, of how important the work is that He has for me--regardless of what goes on around me.

You see, my excitement can be contagious.  It can stir others. It can draw folks in. It can encourage. It can be a shining example. It can cause an influx of volunteers. It can spark interest and service.

Or it can be scoffed it.

It can be questioned.

It can be scrutinized, criticized or deflated with just a few words from the peanut gallery.

But when I remember how God's gracious hand is on me, how He softly and tenderly spoke to my heart about what it is He desires me to do, I push aside the scoffers and press on.

I get back to the 'wall', my portion of it, my area to which I've been assigned, my spot I can work on in a way no one else can.